


The Bust of the Emperor

by sailorgreywolf



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-04
Packaged: 2021-03-16 20:55:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,245
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29830788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sailorgreywolf/pseuds/sailorgreywolf
Summary: Ruling an empire for over sixty years forms a bond that is hard to break. Even once his reign is over, Austria struggles to deal with his attachment to Franz Joseph.
Relationships: Austria/Prussia (Hetalia)
Kudos: 11





	The Bust of the Emperor

1853

It was a pleasant day in the city, though the air still felt tense. It had not been long since the revolutions had been quelled, and there were so many who still opposed the monarchy.

Austria did not feel comfortable even within the streets of Vienna. He had seen the true intentions of his subordinates, and he no longer felt like he could turn his back on any of them.

He was walking behind his young emperor and a petty Count, keeping a close eye on them both. Franz Joseph was young, and the stable peace would rest on his shoulders. If he could establish himself as emperor and quell all of the rebellions, then all would be well.

Austria felt sick to his stomach when he thought about all the possibilities for betrayal. They were on the bulwark that surrounded the fortified center of the city. He should have felt safe here, but the Revolutions had shaken him.

Franz Joseph had the confidence of a young man, and he had told Austria that there was not a reason to worry about him going for a stroll. Usually Austria would listen to his Kaiser, but he did not feel like the young man adequately understand the danger. It would be ruinous for anything to go wrong; it could easily light the fires of revolution again.

There were people mulling around on the walk, and they put Austria’s nerves on edge. He wondered if the revolutions had really driven him to paranoia, and whether he would suffer the rest of his life from this terrible feeling of foreboding.

As the thought occurred to him, he turned his eyes away from the Kaiser and looked to the crowd. He let out a long breath that he had been holding and tried to let the tension out of his shoulders. He had to learn to live without forever seeing traitors everywhere.

As he watched, a man emerged from the mass of people and took several running steps. Austria realized a moment too late that the man’s hand went to his belt like he was about to pull a weapon.

Austria’s feet felt frozen to the ground as his worst fear played out in front of him.

The man, his face set in cold determination, lunged at the young Kaiser who had his back to the crowd as he gazed out over the city.

The knife seemed to hit its mark. Austria’s blood ran cold. He had aimed for the Kaiser’s neck. For the briefest moment the world seemed to freeze.

He couldn’t breath.

Then it all started moving again. The Kaiser fell to his knees. The word that had been stuck in Austria’s throat finally broke free, “Franz!”

His feet finally free to move again, he ran to the Kaiser. He knelt next to his emperor and, throwing aside any ideas of decorum, put his hands to the man’s face.

Behind him he heard the sound of the Count tussling with the would be assassin. Whether he detained the man or killed him, it was all the same.

Austria only had eyes for his emperor. Franz Joseph turned his face to Austria. He looked pale, and he was clutching the spot where his neck met his shoulder. There was blood between his fingers.

Austria felt the blood drain from his own face. He didn’t know how bad the wound was, but the blood terrified him. He said, “Franz, don’t you leave me yet.” The emperor met his worried gaze and said, steadily, “I’m not going to.”

He took his hand away from the wound to show Austria the damage. the collar was cut to the skin, but it seemed like just a superficial cut beneath it. It was a wound, but it was survivable.

It felt like a miracle. The blow meant to cut his throat had been thwarted by the thick fabric of the collar. He had never been more thankful for his Kaiser’s habit of wearing military dress everywhere.

Austria let out a long sigh of relief and thanked God for a luck. For a moment he really thought that he had lost his emperor, and he would have to crown Maximilian.

He smiled out of sheer relief and said, “Your mother would have killed me if anything had happened to you.”

Behind him he could hear the assassin swearing in Hungarian. Austria could have easily guessed that he was a Hungarian nationalist. They were the greatest problem that he had.

Franz Joseph gave him something that was supposed to by a wry smile, but it still looked pained. He replied, “I still have work to do. I don’t think I am going to leave until it’s all done.”

\-------------------------------

1920

Austria walked into the living room leaning heavily on his cane. It felt humiliating to rely on it, but the war had left him so weak that it was a necessity. It was progress, since he was no longer bed bound, but not enough to soothe his pride.

Prussia stood when he saw him enter the room. For a moment, Austria had to repress the instinct to drop the cane. He had been focused on his rivalry with Prussia for too long for this sudden change to feel altogether natural. He still felt like showing weakness in front of Prussia was a political mistake, even though they were no longer enemies.

It hardly sounded real when Prussia said, “Do you need help?”

Austria could not remember a time that Prussia had offered him a helping hand. Or a time where he would have viewed that offer as something sincere. He replied, “I can manage on my own.”

In truth, a helping hand might have been nice. But it was not so easy to let go of a century of distrust. He settled himself on the couch across from Prussia, and let out a low groan. His joints still protested if he moved too much.

The other man settled himself on the other couch again, and looked over Austria like he was appraising him. It seemed like he wanted to know how bad the damage really was.

Austria decided he needed to break the silence, and solve the mystery of Prussia’s presence. He said, “Why are you here, Gilbert? I didn’t ask you to visit.”

He had the sudden realization as he looked at him that Prussia was wearing civilian clothing. How odd and out of place he looked out of uniform.

The Entente was intent on demilitarizing Germany, so it made some sense that Prussia had to live life as a civilian for the first time in a long time. But it felt wrong to see him without a sword at his hip.

Prussia leaned back on the couch like he was perfectly comfortable in someone else’s home. He replied, “I wanted to see how you were faring. I hadn’t seen you since the war and I was concerned.”

Austria did not restrain his natural reaction. He sneered and said, “You care about my well-being now?”

He couldn’t help the reaction, it had never seemed like Prussia cared about him before. But the other looked genuinely offended, like Austria had laid an unfair accusation at his feet. He said, “I have never tried to hurt you. I could have taken land in 1866, but I didn’t because I didn’t want to cause you pain.”

Austria had never even considered that there had been anything personal in Prussia’s lack of territorial demands. He had viewed it through the lens of Bismarck’s cold political calculations, and nothing more. It had certainly made Prussia seem like the rational party at the time.

He shrugged, unwilling to concede the point completely, “You can see how I am.”

He meant the cane and the pained expression he made when he walked. Anyone with eyes could see that he was not doing well, especially when immortals were supposed heal quickly. It was unheard of that anyone would take this long to heal from a war.

Prussia glanced around the room before saying, “Yeah, I can.”

Austria felt himself bristle at what was unsaid. Was there something wrong with the way he kept his house? It felt comfortable enough to him.

He was about to question the glance when Prussia clarified for him. He said, “I am going to assume that the decor is because you haven’t had the energy to redecorate.”

Austria glanced around, trying to figure out what he meant. It was the same that it had been for years. Golden curtains, lavish paintings, velvet couches. It was as it had always been. He asked, “What is wrong with it?”

Prussia raised a pale eyebrow and said, “Well, the Kaiser is still staring at me for one.”

He gestured over his shoulder at the mantle above the fireplace. Austria followed his pointing and his eyes lighted upon a marble bust of Franz Joseph. It had been there since it was made. It had been made as a loving gift on the occasion of the Kaiser’s sixtieth birthday.

Austria stared at it a moment before he thought he understood the point. He was clinging to the imperial normalcy. Nothing in the room had changed for decades, save for minor changes here and there to keep with the trends.

But, even the thought of removing the bust from its spot seemed painful. He said, “Franz isn’t going anywhere. He will go when I feel ready, and not before then.”

Prussia sighed and ran a hand over his face. Then he said with the air of a man speaking to a stubborn child, “But he has gone. You do know this, don’t you? He’s dead and buried. That is just a piece of marble.”

Austria knew, of course he did. He had held his emperor’s hand and heard his last word’s. Franz Joseph’s last act had been to make Austria swear to try to work with Karl and save the empire. And he had sworn, but no oath could have stopped the empire from falling to pieces in front of him.

He had been there to see Franz Joseph laid to rest beside his wife and son with all the proper pomp and ceremony. He had been old and venerable, and had worked to his last day for the good of the empire he loved.

He replied, “I do know. I am lame, not delusional.”

He knew he was being too curt, but the implication that he did not understand the present felt unwarranted. Prussia gave him a look of unusual sympathy and said, “I know it is hard. When Fritz died-“ Austria cut him off swiftly, “We weren’t like that!”

He knew the relationship Prussia had with his king, and would not have anyone imply that he had the same. But Prussia dismissed it with a wave of his hand, “I know you weren't. But, when Fritz died I locked myself up with my grief and refused to see the outside world. It made me less prepared when another threat came. I am trying to tell you not to do that.”

Austria had not intended to do anything of the sort. But he hadn’t been in any position to go out, since moving was cause him pain. He said, “What makes you think that I am locking myself in here? I have been in bed for nearly a year.”

Prussia pointed over his shoulder at the bust of Franz Joseph with a raised eyebrow. Then he said, “You can’t tell me that you’ve never woken up and thought it was still the 19th century and that you’re going to see him at breakfast.”

Austria couldn’t hide his expression of shock at how accurate the description was. He had felt like it was his own imperial nostalgia that sometimes made him feel like he had woken up in the old empire. He thought he would find Franz Joseph in the usual place until he saw how dark the palace was without servants to light the candles.

It always felt like remembering all of his losses at once all over again. It was uniquely painful, and he had never imagined that it would be a shared experience.

He let out a long breath through his nose and said, “It does. I feel like I am living in the past. But I don’t want it all to change yet.”

It felt bitter to say it, because he would still rather be in the disappearing world of empires than in the uncharted present. Prussia smiled, “I thought you might be. That’s why I’m here.”

Austria was slightly irritated to see how Prussia was lounging back into the pillows on the couch. Prussia really did just look comfortable like it was his own living room.

He replied, “And what are you going to do?” Prussia said, “Well, if you’ll allow me, I would like to visit more often. There’s a republic out there now, and you should see it.”

Austria chuckled. There were times he would have been so happy to have the chance to spend time with Prussia. He had never imagined it would take them both experiencing political ruin to make it happen.

It certainly sounded much more pleasant than spending time alone thinking about the empire.He replied, “Alright, I agree. Just don’t make me redecorate."

Prussia put his hands up and said, “Fine, I won’t.” He paused for a moment and added, “Yet.”


End file.
